Systems and processes for cellulosic ethanol production

ABSTRACT

A cellulosic ethanol production process. An implementation of a process for producing fuel ethanol and biodiesel from cellulose may include: providing a raw cellulose stream by mixing a waste cellulose stream and an algae cellulose stream, hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream to form a hydrolyzed cellulose stream, liquefying the hydrolyzed cellulose stream to produce a formed sugars stream and one or more liquefaction byproduct streams, fermenting the formed sugars stream to produce a raw ethanol stream by reacting the sugars stream with a yeast feed in at least one fermenter, separating the raw ethanol stream to form a fuel ethanol stream, producing an algae stream by reacting at least one of the one or more liquefaction byproduct streams with algae in at least one algae bioreactor, and reacting the algae stream in at least one biodiesel reactor to produce the algae cellulose stream and a biodiesel stream.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of the earlierU.S. Utility Patent Application to Stephen LeRoy Rush entitled “Systemsand Processes for Cellulosic Ethanol Production,” application Ser. No.12/014,090, filed Jan. 14, 2008, now pending, which was acontinuation-in-part application of the earlier U.S. Utility PatentApplication to Stephen LeRoy Rush entitled “Process For The OrganicBreakdown of Cellulosic Tissue,” application Ser. No. 11/934,768, filedNov. 3, 2007, now abandoned, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated entirely herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

Aspects of this document relate generally to processes for fuelproduction from biomass sources.

2. Background Art

The derivation of fuels from biomass sources has been in long practice.For example, ethanol and biodiesel derived from biomass sources arebecoming increasingly adopted as fuel sources in internal combustionengines. Conventional ethanol generation technology involves processinga starchy source material (such as a grain or vegetable) by convertingthe starch source to free glucose and fermenting the glucose with yeastthat excretes significant amounts of ethanol. Conventional biodieselgeneration technology involves processing a feedstock, such as vegetableoil, through a reaction process such as transesterification to producebiodiesel and a variety of other byproducts. Other processes have beendeveloped to generate a variety of other fuel-related materials frombiomass, including lubricants, fuel additives, and greases.

An example of a conventional ethanol production process may be found inU.S. Pat. No. 4,885,241, to Millichip entitled “Ethanol production byZymomonas cultured in yeast-conditioned media,” issued Dec. 5, 1989, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated entirely herein by reference.

An example of a conventional biodiesel generating process may be foundin U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,965 to Foglia, et al., entitled “Production ofbiodiesel, lubricants and fuel and lubricant additives,” issued Feb. 3,1998, the contents of which are hereby incorporated entirely herein byreference.

SUMMARY

Implementations of cellulosic ethanol production systems may utilizevarious implementations of integrated processes for producing fuelethanol and biodiesel from cellulose. A first implementation of anintegrated process for producing fuel ethanol and biodiesel fromcellulose may include providing a raw cellulose stream to one or morecontainers selected from the group consisting of a vat, a bioreactor,and a tank by mixing a waste cellulose stream and an algae cellulosestream. The process may also include hydrolyzing the raw cellulosestream to form a hydrolyzed cellulose stream and liquefying thehydrolyzed cellulose stream to produce a formed sugars stream and one ormore liquefaction byproduct streams. The process may also includefermenting the formed sugars stream to produce a raw ethanol stream byreacting the sugars stream with a yeast feed in at least one fermenterand separating the raw ethanol stream to form a fuel ethanol stream. Theprocess may include producing an algae stream by reacting at least oneof the one or more liquefaction byproduct streams with algae in at leastone algae bioreactor, reacting the algae stream in at least onebiodiesel reactor to produce the algae cellulose stream and a biodieselstream, and recovering the fuel ethanol and the biodiesel from theirrespective streams.

Implementations of a first integrated process for producing fuel ethanoland biodiesel from cellulose may include one, all, or any of thefollowing:

One of the one or more liquefaction byproduct streams may includexylitol.

Implementations of cellulosic ethanol production systems may utilize asecond implementation of a process for producing fuel ethanol andbiodiesel from cellulose. The process may include providing a rawcellulose stream to one or more containers selected from the groupconsisting of a vat, a bioreactor, and a tank by mixing a wastecellulose stream and an algae cellulose stream. The process may alsoinclude hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream to form a hydrolyzedcellulose stream by reacting the raw cellulose stream with one or moreorganisms, liquefying the hydrolyzed cellulose stream to form a sugarsstream, and separating the sugars stream to form a xylitol stream and aseparated sugars stream. The process may include fermenting theseparated sugars stream to form a raw ethanol stream by reacting theseparated sugars stream with a yeast feed in at least one fermenter,separating the raw ethanol stream to form a fuel ethanol stream, andproducing an algae stream by reacting the xylitol stream with algae inat least one algae bioreactor. The process may also include reacting thealgae stream in at least one biodiesel reactor to produce the algaecellulose stream and a biodiesel stream and recovering the fuel ethanoland the biodiesel from their respective streams.

Implementations of a second integrated process for producing fuelethanol and biodiesel from cellulose may include one, all, or some ofthe following:

The one or more organisms may be selected from the group consisting of afungus, a yeast, a bacterium, a protozoan, and any combination thereof.

The one or more organisms may be selected from the group consisting ofPiromyces sp. E2, Neocallimastix sp. L2, Mixotricha paradoxa,Spirochaeta endosymbiotes, Escherichia coli, and Escherichia coli BL21.

Hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream may further include regulating theactivity of the one or more organisms using one or more enzymes selectedfrom the group consisting of dehydrogenase, formate, alcoholdehydrogenase E, cytosol, and excrements of cephalopods or oceanmammals.

Implementations of a first process and a second process for producingfuel ethanol and biodiesel from cellulose may include one, all, or someof the following:

Hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream may further include reacting theraw cellulose stream with one of capsaicin, quercetin, genestine,ethanol, and any combination thereof.

Hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream may further include reducing theconcentration of auxin in the raw cellulose stream using one or moreorganic transport inhibitors selected from the group consisting ofcapsaicin, quercetin, genestine, ethanol, and any combination thereof.

Hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream may further include adjusting thepH of the raw cellulose stream with one of capsaicin, an inorganic acid,an organic acid, and any combination thereof.

Hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream may further include dehydrogenatingthe raw cellulose stream with a compound selected from the groupconsisting of one or more enzymes selected from the group consisting ofdehydrogenase, formate, alcohol dehydrogenase E, cytosol, and excrementsof cephalopods or ocean mammals, and any combination thereof, one ormore organic transport inhibitors selected from the group consisting ofcapsaicin, quercetin, genestine, ethanol, and any combination thereof;and any combination of enzymes and organic transport inhibitors thereof.

Hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream may further include reacting theraw cellulose stream with one or more enzymes selected from the groupconsisting of dehydrogenase, formate, alcohol dehydrogenase E, cytosol,and excrements of cephalopods or ocean mammals.

Implementations of cellulosic ethanol production systems may utilizeimplementations of a third integrated process for producing fuel ethanoland biodiesel from cellulose. The method may include providing a rawcellulose stream by mixing a waste cellulose stream and an algaecellulose stream and hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream to form ahydrolyzed cellulose stream, a hydrolysis CO₂ stream, and an hydrolysisethanol stream by reacting the raw cellulose stream with one or morefungi from the group consisting of the genera Neocallimastix, Piromyces,and Orpinomyces. The process may also include liquefying the hydrolyzedcellulose stream to produce a sugars stream by heating the hydrolyzedcellulose stream and by reacting the hydrolyzed cellulose stream withone or more enzymes, one or more bacteria, or with one or more enzymesin combination with one or more bacteria. The process may also includeseparating the sugars stream to produce a xylitol stream and a separatedsugars stream, fermenting the separated sugars stream to produce a rawethanol stream and a fermentation CO₂ stream by reacting the separatedsugars stream with a yeast feed in at least one fermenter, andseparating the raw ethanol stream to produce a fuel ethanol stream and awaste cellulose stream. The method may also include producing an algaestream by reacting the hydrolysis CO₂ stream, the fermentation CO₂stream, an atmospheric CO₂ stream, and the xylitol stream with algae inat least one algae bioreactor. The method may include reacting the algaestream in at least one biodiesel reactor to produce the algae cellulosestream and a biodiesel stream and recovering the fuel ethanol and thebiodiesel from their respective streams.

Implementations of a third integrated process for producing fuel ethanoland biodiesel from cellulose may include one, all, or any of thefollowing:

The one or more fungi selected from the group consisting of the generaNeocallimastix, Piromyces, and Orpinomyces may be selected from thegroup consisting of Neocallimastix patriciarum, Neocallimastixpatriciarum strain 27, Neocallimastix frontalis, and Piromyces sp.strain E2.

The one or more enzymes may be selected from the group consisting ofα-amylase, β-glucanase, cellobiase, dehydrogenase, exoglucohydrolase,formate, alcohol dehydrogenase E, cytosol, pyruvate formate lyase,lignase, and excrements of cephalopods or ocean mammals.

Separating the sugars stream may further include chromatographicallyseparating xylitol in the sugars stream to produce the xylitol streamand the separated sugars stream.

The foregoing and other aspects, features, and advantages will beapparent to those artisans of ordinary skill in the art from theDESCRIPTION and DRAWINGS, and from the CLAIMS.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Implementations will hereinafter be described in conjunction with theappended drawings, where like designations denote like elements, and:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first implementation of a cellulosicethanol production system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram view of a second implementation of acellulosic ethanol production system;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a third implementation of a cellulosicethanol production system.

DESCRIPTION

This disclosure, its aspects and implementations, are not limited to thespecific components or procedures disclosed herein. Many additionalcomponents and procedures known in the art consistent with the intendedcellulosic ethanol generation systems and processes and/or assemblyprocedures for a cellulosic ethanol systems and processes will becomeapparent for use with particular implementations from this disclosure.Accordingly, for example, although particular implementations aredisclosed, such implementations and implementing components may compriseany shape, size, style, type, model, version, measurement,concentration, material, quantity, and/or the like as is known in theart for such cellulosic ethanol generating systems and processes andimplementing components, consistent with the intended operation.

Structure

Referring to FIG. 1, a first implementation of a cellulosic ethanolgenerating system 2 is illustrated. The system includes a feed stage 4that includes a mixing operation configured to receive a waste cellulosestream 6 of cellulosic material from biomass ground in a grindingoperation. The mixing operation of the feed stage 4 mixes the cellulosicmaterial in the waste cellulose stream 6 with cellulosic material in analgae cellulose stream 8. The cellulosic material in the waste cellulosestream 6 may be derived from any biomass source containing appreciablequantities of cellulose, such as, by non-limiting example, organiclandfill waste, paper waste, paper mill process effluent, residentialgarbage, sawdust, and any other source of cellulosic material, includingrecycled cellulosic material from the cellulosic ethanol generatingsystem 2 itself. The cellulosic material in the algae cellulose stream 8may include any cellulosic material derived from algae including, bynon-limiting example, living algae, dried algae, algae biodieselbioreactor effluent, or any other portion of any species of algae usedin an algal biodiesel process. The mixing operation of the feed stage 4combines the cellulosic material in the waste cellulose stream 6 withthat in the algae cellulose stream 8 and a certain amount of water toproduce a raw cellulose stream 10.

A hydrolysis stage 12 is coupled to the feed stage 4 and is configuredto receive the raw cellulose stream 10 and process it in a hydrolysisoperation. The hydrolysis operation is configured to react thecellulosic material in the raw cellulose stream 10 with fungi in a fungifeed 14. The hydrolysis operation breaks down the structure of thecellulosic material in the raw cellulose stream 10 by using the fungi toattack lignins, hemicelluloses, celluloses, and cellobioses in thecellulosic material. This breakdown of the cellulosic material may allowlater process steps to expose, convert, and release as much glucose andother sugar material from the cellulosic material as possible. As thefungi attack the cellulosic material, they both incorporate it intotheir own biomass and release free glucoses derived from the broken downlignins, hemicelluloses, celluloses, and cellobioses in the cellulosicmaterial. The fungi may utilize any of a wide variety of enzymes andbiological reaction pathways to react the cellulosic material andconvert it to a food source. The particular enzymes and biologicalreaction pathways will depend upon the type of fungi used, the chemicalmakeup of the cellulosic material in the raw cellulose stream 10, andother relevant process control variables, such as, by non-limitingexample, the concentration of enzymes such as alcohol dehydrogenase E,temperature, pressure, light, or any other variable capable ofinfluencing the growth or metabolic process of the fungi or a chemicalreaction occurring in the hydrolysis operation. The use of alcoholdehydrogenase E may have the effect of both enhancing and inhibiting theactivity of the fungi, depending upon its concentration in the system ata given point in time. Accordingly, varying the concentration of alcoholdehydrogenase E may be used as a method of process control of thehydrolysis operation in particular implementations of cellulose ethanolproduction systems 2.

The enzymes and biological reaction pathways may allow glucose, ethanol,cellobiose, and other reactive enzymes to be incorporated into the rawcellulose stream 10. During the hydrolysis operation, carbon dioxide(CO₂) may be released by the fungi and/or the cellulosic material duringthe reaction period and may be captured to form a hydrolysis CO₂ stream16. When ethanol is released by the fungi reacting with the cellulosicmaterial, that ethanol may be captured and separated to form an ethanolstream for later use as fuel ethanol.

The fungi in the fungi feed 14 may include any species or combination ofspecies from the phylum Neocallimastigomycota. In particularimplementations, species selected from the genera Neocallimastix,Piromyces, and Orpinomyces may be included. For the exemplary purposesof this disclosure, specific species that may be utilized may includeNeocallimastix patriciarum, Neocallimastix patriciarum strain 27,Neocallimastix frontalis, and Piromyces sp. strain E2. The fungi in thefungi feed 14 may be naturally occurring species or may have beencreated by any known type of genetic engineering, such as, bynon-limiting example, breeding, recombinant DNA techniques, genesplicing, cloning, hybridization, or any other method of altering orcontrolling the genetic material of the fungi and/or the expression ofthe genetic material of the fungi. For the exemplary purposes of thisdisclosure, the fungi chosen are anaerobic fungi, but in otherparticular implementations, the fungi may be aerobic or capable ofrespiration by either aerobic or anaerobic pathways.

The hydrolysis operation may be carried out in any type of container,such as, by non-limiting example, a bioreactor, a vat, a tank, aplurality of bioreactors, or any other container allowing the mixing ofthe cellulosic material with the fungi in the fungi feed 14. The fungifeed 14 may include a wide variety of other materials intended to assistwith the reaction occurring in the hydrolysis stage 12 and/or subsequentstages in the cellulosic ethanol generation process 2. These materialsmay include, by non-limiting example, fungi nutrients, fungi foodsources, enzymes, bacteria, and any other organic or inorganic reagent,chemical or organism that may assist with hydrolysis of the cellulosicmaterial in the raw cellulose stream 10. The fungi in the fungi feed 14may be at least partially derived from a fungi separation operation ormay be totally derived from a separate fungi growing process coupled tothe fungi feed 14. The fungi in the fungi feed 14 may be grown at thesame site as the cellulosic ethanol generation system 2, or may becultivated in another location and brought in periodically orcontinuously as needed. The particular fungi nutrients, fungi foodsources, fungi growing processes, and other chemicals used in thehydrolysis operation depend upon the particular fungus or combination offungal species used.

For the exemplary purposes of this disclosure, the fungus included inthe fungi feed 14 may be Piromyces sp. strain E2 and the enzymes andbiological reaction pathway utilized to break down the cellulosicmaterial in the raw cellulose stream 10 may be those described in thearticle by Steenbakkers et al. (hereinafter “Steenbakkers”) entitled“β-Glucosidase in cellulosome of the anerobic fungus Piromyces sp.strain E2 is a family 3 glycoside hydrolase,” Biochem. J. 370, 963-970,(2003), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated entirely hereinby reference. In addition, the fungal species, enzymes, and biologicalreaction pathways detailed by Boxma, et al. (hereinafter “Boxma”) in thearticle entitled “The anaerobic chytridiomycete fungus Piromyces sp. E2produces ethanol via pyruvate:formate lyase and an alcohol dehydrogenaseE,” Molecular Microbiology 51(5), 1389-1399 (2004), the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated entirely herein by reference, may beutilized in particular implementations. These references also discloseexemplary techniques and processes for isolating, cultivating,utilizing, growing, and analyzing fungi that may be used in particularimplementations of cellulosic ethanol production systems and processesand Steenbakkers and Boxma are specifically incorporated by referenceherein for their relevant teachings on these subjects.

After being processed by the fungi in the hydrolysis operation of thehydrolysis stage 12, the cellulosic material in the raw cellulose stream10 is converted to a hydrolyzed cellulose stream 18. A liquefactionstage 20 is coupled to the hydrolysis stage 12 and is configured toreceive the cellulosic material in hydrolyzed cellulose stream 18. Thehydrolysis stage 12 may include a fungi separation operation, a heatedsugar formation operation, and a liquefaction operation. The fungiseparation operation may permit some or all of the fungi in thehydrolyzed cellulose stream 18 leaving the hydrolysis stage 12 to beseparated. The separated fungi may be either partially or fully recycledback to the hydrolysis stage, may be partially or fully discarded, ormay be partially or fully processed and reintroduced into the hydrolyzedcellulose stream 18 to provide additional cellulosic material forethanol generation as a recycled fungi stream. The fungi separationoperation may occur using any of many techniques known to those of skillin the art, such as, by non-limiting example, centrifugation, settling,or any other method of concentrating and removing fungi from a stream.

The heated sugar formation operation of the liquefaction stage 20 raisesthe temperature of the hydrolyzed cellulose stream 18 to release sugarsfrom the cellulosic material contained in it. The heated sugar formationoperation may be a simple heating step prior to introduction intofurther process operations or may involve maintaining the hydrolyzedcellulose stream 18 at an elevated temperature for an extended period oftime. Enzymes and/or bacterial may be added to the hydrolyzed cellulosestream 18 at this point in particular implementations. For the exemplarypurposes of this disclosure, the heated sugar formation operation may beconducted at 80-100 C. for an hour and a half. The heated sugarformation operation may take place in any appropriate heating vessel orstructure, such as, by non-limiting example, a jet cooker, a heatexchanger, a heated vessel, or any other heat transfer structure capableof raising the temperature of the hydrolyzed cellulose stream 18.

The liquefaction stage 20 may also include a liquefaction operationconfigured to react the cellulosic material in the hydrolyzed cellulosestream 18 with one or more enzymes and/or one or more bacteria. Theliquefaction operation may take place at elevated or ambienttemperatures, depending upon the requirements of the particular enzymeand/or bacterium used. The liquefaction operation may serve to furtherbreakdown celluloses and cellobioses into glucoses and other sugars andaid in the overall conversion of the cellulosic material in thehydrolyzed cellulose stream 18 to sugars. Enzymes that may be reactedwith the cellulosic material in the hydrolyzed cellulose stream include,by non-limiting example, α-amylase, β-glucanase, cellobiase,dehydrogenase, exoglucohydrolase, formate, alcohol dehydrogenase E,cytosol, pyruvate formate lyase, lignase, and excrements of cephalopodsor ocean mammals. The bacteria reacted with the cellulosic material inthe hydrolyzed cellulose stream may include any bacterium that iscapable of releasing any of the above enzymes or any other enzyme usefulin producing sugars from the cellulosic material in the hydrolyzedcellulose stream 18. In other implementations, a fungus may be added tothe hydrolyzed cellulose stream to further aid in the conversion of thecellulosic material in the hydrolyzed cellulose stream 18 to sugar. Theliquefaction operation, in combination with the fungi separationoperation and the heated sugar formation operation, if present, mayproduce a sugars stream 22 and a recycled fungi stream. The sugarsstream 22 may include a mixture of a number of different sugars,including glucoses and xylitol. The liquefaction operation may takeplace in any vessel or plurality of vessels capable of handling thecellulosic material in the hydrolyzed cellulose stream 18 andmaintaining control of temperature and other relevant process variables.

A sugar separation stage 24 may be coupled to the liquefaction stage andconfigured to receive the sugars stream 22. The sugar separation 24 mayinclude a sugar separation operation and a mash cooling operation. Thesugar separation operation may separate fermentable sugars, such asglucoses, from non-fermentable sugars, such as xylitol, thereby helpingto increase the productivity of the fermentation operation. The sugarseparation operation may take place using a wide variety of techniquesknown in the art, including, by non-limiting example, chromatography,fractionation, or any other method of separating various sugar moleculesby physical property. For the exemplary purposes of this disclosure, thesugar separation operation may occur using a strong base anion resin ina chromatography process, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,451,123 toSaska, et al. (hereinafter “Saska”) entitled “Process for the Separationof Sugars,” issued Sep. 17, 2002, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated entirely herein by reference. When the separation operationis performed using the process disclosed in Saska, much of the xylitolin the sugars stream 22 may be separated, producing a xylitol stream anda separated sugars stream 28. Because of the separation operation, theseparated sugars stream 28 may contain a substantially greaterpercentage of fermentable sugars than existed in the sugars stream 22.

The mash cooling operation of the sugar separation stage 24 may occureither before, as part of, or after the sugar separation operation inparticular implementations. For the exemplary purposes of thisdisclosure, the mash cooling operation occurs after the sugar separationoperation and serves to reduce the temperature of the separated sugarsstream 28 in particular to a level useful for introduction into afermentation process.

A fermentation stage 30 is coupled to the sugar separation stage 24 andconfigured to receive the separated sugars stream 28. The fermentationstage 30 may include a fermentation operation configured to react theseparated sugars stream 28 with a yeast feed to produce a raw ethanolstream 32 and a fermentation CO₂ stream 34. The yeasts may consume orferment the sugars present in the separated sugars stream 28 and releaseethanol, CO₂ and other byproducts as a result. The released CO₂ may becaptured to produce the fermentation CO₂ stream 34. The remaining liquidmaterial may pass out of the fermentation stage 30 as the raw ethanolstream 32. The fermentation operation may take place in at least onefermenter under conditions such as, by non-limiting example, a specifiedperiod of time, a particular temperature range, in the presence ofcertain nutrients and any other process variable condition or componentuseful for the regulation of yeast growth. The yeast included in theyeast feed may be any of a wide variety of fungi and/or bacteriaconventionally used to convert glucoses and other sugars to ethanol. Forthe exemplary purposes of this disclosure, the fungi and/or bacteria maybe Clostridium thermocellum, Piromonas communis P, or Zymomanas sp. Theyeasts and/or bacteria used may be either naturally occurring or theproduct of any form of genetic engineering, such as, by non-limitingexample, breeding, recombinant DNA techniques, gene splicing, cloning,hybridization, or any other method of altering or controlling thegenetic material of the fungi and/or bacteria and/or the expression ofthe genetic material of the fungi and or bacteria. Those of ordinaryskill in the art will readily be able to select appropriate fermentationconditions, fermenters, and yeasts to produce ethanol using theprinciples disclosed in this document.

A separation stage 36 may be coupled to the fermentation stage 30 and beconfigured to receive the raw ethanol stream 32. The separation stage 36may include a separation operation configured to separate ethanol fromthe raw ethanol stream 32 and produce a fuel ethanol stream 38 and awaste cellulose stream. The separation operation may include any of awide variety of separation devices utilizing a number of conventionalethanol separation processes. Some of these may include, by non-limitingexample, a molecular sieve, distillation, azeotropic distillation,centrifugation, vacuum distillation, or any other method of separatingethanol from water and/or fermentation byproducts. The waste cellulosestream consisting of cellulose-containing materials not converted toethanol in the process may be reintroduced at the feed stage and mixedto become part of the raw cellulose stream 10 in particularimplementations.

An algae generation stage 40 may be included as part of implementationsof an cellulosic ethanol production system 2 and may be coupled to thesystem by being configured to receive the hydrolysis CO₂ stream 16, thefermentation CO₂ stream 34, an atmospheric CO₂ stream 42, and thexylitol stream 26. The algae generation stage 40 may include an algaegeneration operation that may include at least one algae bioreactor inwhich the hydrolysis CO₂ stream 16, the fermentation CO₂ stream 34, anatmospheric CO₂ stream 42, and the xylitol stream 26 are reacted withalgae. As the algae feed on the CO₂ and xylitol contained in thestreams, they multiply, and the multiplying algae may be removed fromthe at least one algae bioreactor as an algae stream 44.

A biodiesel production stage 46 may be coupled to the algae generationstage 40 and be configured to receive the algae stream 44. The biodieselproduction stage 46 may include a biodiesel reaction operation and analgae drying operation. The biodiesel reaction operation may beconfigured to receive the algae stream 44 and process the algae in thestream to obtain biodiesel fuel, producing a biodiesel stream 48 and analgae waste stream. The algae drying operation may be configured toreceive the algae waste stream and remove water and other liquids fromthe stream to produce the algae cellulose stream 8. The algae dryingoperation may not be included in particular implementations, meaningthat the contents of the algae waste stream will pass directly to thealgae cellulose stream 8 with little modification. Relevant teachingsregarding algae generation and algal biodiesel generation may be foundin U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20070048859 to Sears,entitled “Closed System Bioreactor Apparatus,” published Mar. 1, 2007and in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20070048848 to Sears,entitled “Method, Apparatus, and System for Biodiesel Production fromAlgae,” published Mar. 1, 2007 the disclosures of both of which arehereby incorporated entirely herein by reference. Particularimplementations of biodiesel reaction operations may utilize an oilpress and other components that aid in the obtaining of biodieselprecursors from the algae. Any biodiesel generated by the biodieselproduction stage 46 may be directly marketed as fuel or may be used tofor power generation for any of the process stages (hydrolysis,liquefaction, fermentation, etc).

Referring to FIG. 2, a second implementation of a cellulosic ethanolproduction system 50 is illustrated. This implementation may include afeed stage 52, hydrolysis stage 54, liquefaction stage 56, sugarseparation stage 58, fermentation stage 60, and separation stage 62 thatare configured like and operate similarly to those described in theimplementation illustrated in FIG. 1. However, no algae generation orbiodiesel production component may be included, as illustrated in FIG.2. Accordingly, any CO₂ generated during the process is not recapturedto grow algae and the xylitol separated at the sugar separation stage 58is also not used in any algae generation process. Additionally, the onlybiomass input to this implementation comes in the form of a wastecellulose stream 64 that does not contain any algae biomass generated aspart of the cellulosic ethanol production system 50. The foregoingstatement does not preclude the use of an implementation of a cellulosicethanol production system 50 with an algal biodiesel plant, using thewaste product of the algal biodiesel plant as a feed stock. However, insuch implementations, the algal biodiesel plant would not be fullyintegrated with the cellulosic ethanol production system 50 by utilizingxylitol and/or CO₂ generated as a feed stock for the growth of algae.

Referring to FIG. 3, a third implementation of a cellulosic ethanolproduction system 64 is illustrated. As illustrated, the system 64includes a feed stage 66 which receives cellulose-containing materialfrom a waste cellulose stream 68 and an algae cellulose stream 70. Thefeed stage 66 may operate similarly to the other feed stages in thisdocument and produce a raw cellulose stream 72 that is then sent to ahydrolysis stage 74. As illustrated, in implementations of cellulosicethanol production systems 64, the hydrolysis stage 74 may be configuredto receive one or more hydrolysis inputs 76. The one or more hydrolysisinputs 76 may include any of a wide variety of organisms and/orchemicals that aid the process of hydrolyzing cellulose andlignin-containing materials in the raw cellulose stream 72 to form thehydrolyzed cellulose stream 78. Any of the various container typesdisclosed in this document may be utilized in implementations ofhydrolysis stages 74.

The hydrolyzed cellulose stream 78 is received by a liquefaction stage80, which may operate similarly to other liquefaction stages disclosedin this document. In the implementation illustrated in FIG. 3, theliquefaction stage 80 is configured to liquefy and free sugars and otherfermentable materials contained in the hydrolyzed cellulose stream 78using organisms and/or chemicals contained in one or more hydrolysisinputs 82. In addition, implementations of liquefaction stages 80 may beconfigured to separate one or more liquefaction byproducts producedduring the liquefaction process to form one or more liquefactionbyproduct streams 84 and a sugars stream or formed sugars stream 86. Theone or more liquefaction byproduct streams 84 may include any of a widevariety of potential liquefaction byproducts, including, by non-limitingexample, cellulose-containing materials, xylose-containing materials,lignin-containing materials, xylitol, organisms, enzymes, or any otherbyproduct of the hydrolysis process. As illustrated, the sugars streamor formed sugars stream 86 is sent to a fermentation stage 88, which mayoperate similarly to the other fermentation stages disclosed in thisdocument to produce a raw ethanol stream 90 and other byproduct streams,such as a fermentation CO₂ stream.

The raw ethanol stream 90 is then sent to an ethanol separation stage 92which may operate similarly to other ethanol separation stages disclosedin this document to separate ethanol in the raw ethanol stream 90 fromto produce a fuel ethanol stream 94.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, particular implementations of cellulosicethanol production systems 64 may include an algae generation stage 96coupled with the liquefaction stage 84 through one or more of theliquefaction byproduct streams 84. The algae generation stage 96 mayoperate similarly to other algae generation stages disclosed in thisdocument and may contain various types of algae configured to use any ofthe liquefaction byproducts in the one or more liquefaction by productstreams 84 as part of the algae's metabolic, growth, or chemicalproduction processes. Examples of liquefaction byproducts utilized byalgae in the algae generation previously discussed in this documentinclude hydrolysis CO₂ and xylitol. Other liquefaction byproducts may beutilized by the algae for any of a wide variety of purposes, such as, bynon-limiting example, nutrition, substrate, metabolism, chemicalproduction, growth, or any other purpose consistent with use of thealgae for biodiesel or other algal chemical production process. Thealgae generation stage 96 may also be configured to receive and utilizevarious CO₂ streams like those previously disclosed in this document,such as a fermentation CO₂ stream and an atmospheric CO₂ stream.

As illustrated, the algae generation stage 96 is configured to producean algae stream 98 which is then sent to a biodiesel production stage100. The biodiesel production stage 100 may operate similarly to theother biodiesel production stages disclosed in this document and producea biodiesel stream 102 and the algae cellulose stream 70. As illustratedin FIG. 3, in particular implementations, the algae cellulose stream 70may be recycled to the feed stage 66 for mixing to produce the rawcellulose stream 72. In other implementations, the algae cellulosestream 70 may not be recycled and may be used for other purposesincluding disposal.

A wide variety of organisms and/or chemicals may be included in the oneor more hydrolysis inputs 76 in particular implementations of cellulosicethanol production systems 64. In addition, in particularimplementations, the hydrolysis stage 74 may be divided into one or moreadditional stages, each stage receiving one or more hydrolysis inputsdifferent from the other stages and each stage separated by anintermediate processing operation, such as an acid neutralization,biocidal, or separation operation. The particular organisms chosen andchemicals added may perform more than one function within the hydrolysisprocess. For example, capsaicin may be included in the one or morehydrolysis inputs 76 to react directly with the cellulosic material inthe raw cellulose stream 72, reduce the concentration of the planthormone auxin in the cell walls of the cellulosic material in the rawcellulose stream 72, adjust the pH of the raw cellulose stream 72,and/or serve generally as an organic transport inhibitor. The foregoingexample indicates that while particular chemicals and organisms may bedescribed in this document as performing a particular function in thehydrolysis or liquefaction process in this document, the same chemicalsand/or organisms may also simultaneously perform other functions in thechemical process.

In particular implementations, capsaicin, quercetin, genestine, ethanol,or any combination of these chemicals may be included in the one or morehydrolysis inputs 76. These chemicals may be used to react directly withthe cellulosic material in the raw cellulose stream to perform any of awide variety of functions, including, by non-limiting example, freeingof sugars, tissue softening, or acting as a biocide, or any otherfunction created through direct reaction with the cellulosic material.In particular implementations, various enzymes may be reacted directlywith the cellulosic material in the raw cellulose stream to aid inmaterial breakdown through any of a variety of pathways, including, bynon-limiting example, delignification, cellulosic polymer chainbreakdown, fiber softening, and any other material breakdown process.The enzymes used by include, by non-limiting example, dehydrogenase,formate, alcohol dehydrogenase E, cytosol, and excrements of cephalopodsor ocean mammals. Implementations may also include capsaicin, quercetin,genestine, ethanol, or any combination thereof as organic transportinhibitors to reduce the concentration of plant hormone auxin in thecell walls of the cellulosic material in the raw cellulose stream 72.Without being bound by any theory, when the concentration of auxin inthe cell walls of the cellulosic material is reduced, the cell wallssoften, allowing the cellulose, lignocellulose, cellobiose, and othersugar-containing materials to be made more accessible to other steps inthe hydrolysis process or the liquefaction process (including the actionof various organisms), thus increasing the amount of sugars producedfrom the cellulosic material.

In implementations of cellulosic ethanol production systems 64,capsaicin, an inorganic acid, or an organic acid, or any combinationthereof may be included in the one or more hydrolysis inputs 76. Withoutbeing bound by any theory, these chemicals modify the pH of the rawcellulose stream 72 and permit greater amounts of sugars to be freedfrom the cellulosic material contained in the raw cellulose stream 72.Any of a wide variety of inorganic acids may be utilized, such as, bynon-limiting example, sulfuric, nitric, phosphoric, or any otherelectron acceptor including an inorganic component. A wide variety oforganic acids may be utilized in particular implementations as well,including, by non-limiting example, acetic acid, citric acid, carboxylicacids, and any other electron acceptor including an organic component.The one or more hydrolysis inputs 76 may include a pH modifying chemicalparticularly in those implementations of cellulosic ethanol productionsystems 64 that do not use organisms as part of the hydrolysis process.In these implementations, the hydrolysis of the cellulosic materialoccurs primarily by chemical action alone, without involving the anyorganism.

In implementations of cellulosic ethanol production systems performinghydrolysis by chemical action alone and through organisms, variousdehydrogenating chemicals may be included in the one or more hydrolysisinputs 76. Without being bound by any theory, these dehydrogenatingchemicals, such as enzymes or organic transport inhibitors, may serve toremove hydrogen from the cellulosic material in the raw cellulose streamand make it more susceptible to chemical attack/reaction and/or organismmetabolism, thus increasing the amount of sugars released during thehydrolysis process or made available for release during the liquefactionprocess. The enzymes used may include, by non-limiting example,dehydrogenase, formate, alcohol dehydrogenase E, cytosol, and excrementsof cephalopods or ocean mammals, any combination thereof, or any otherdehydrogenating compound operating in a catalytic manner. The one ormore organic transport inhibitors utilized may include capsaicin,quercetin, genestine, ethanol, or any other transport inhibitor.

In implementations of cellulosic ethanol production systems 64 utilizingorganisms in the hydrolysis step, the characteristics of the hydrolysisprocess may be regulated using a chemical that regulates the activity ofthe organisms as one of the hydrolysis inputs 76. The chemicals mayinclude one or more enzymes, such as, by non-limiting example,dehydrogenase, formate, alcohol dehydrogenase E, cytosol, and excrementsof cephalopods or ocean mammals. Without being bound by any theory, thechemical may participate in the metabolic cycle utilized by theparticular organism being used for the hydrolysis process. For example,while alcohol dehydrogenase E is not generally considered a cellulase,since it is involved in the cellulose metabolic pathway of Piromyces sp.E2, addition of the enzyme will serve to govern the activity of thefungus in the hydrolysis stage.

A wide variety of organisms can be used in implementations of cellulosicethanol production systems 64 in both the hydrolysis stage 74 and in theliquefaction stage 82. For example, a fungus, yeast, bacterium,protozoan or any combination thereof may serve both to hydrolyze and/orto assist with the liquefaction of the cellulosic material beingprocessed. Xylophageous organisms may be particularly useful, since theycan work to produce pentoses alongside other organisms that focus onbreaking down cellulose into hexoses and increase the total sugarsproduced in the hydrolysis stage 74 and/or the liquefaction stage 82.For the exemplary purposes of this disclosure, Piromyces sp. E2,Neocallimastix sp. L2, Mixotricha paradoxa, Spirochaeta endosymbiotes,Escherichia coli, and Escherichia coli BL21, and any combination thereofmay all be employed in the hydrolysis stage 74. In addition, Escherichiacoli and any of many variants may also be employed in the fermentationstage 88 to form ethanol.

A wide variety of other chemicals may be introduced as one of the one ormore hydrolysis inputs 76. For example, xylitol produced in theliquefaction stage 82 may be introduced as one of the one or morehydrolysis inputs 76 when organisms capable of metabolizing the xylitoland/or converting it to fermentable material are contained in thehydrolysis stage 74. In these implementations, the reintroduction of thexylitol may allow for increasing the biomass in the hydrolysis stage 74.In addition, in other particular implementations, any other separatedwaste sugars produced and/or separated in the liquefaction stage 82 maybe reintroduced into the hydrolysis stage 74 and any fermentableportions continued through the process to the fermentation stage 88.

In implementations of cellulosic ethanol production systems 2, 50, and64, a wide variety of fermentation stage designs are possible includingboth continuous, semi-continuous, and batch fermentation stage designs.In systems employing semi-continuous or batch fermentation stagedesigns, a replication or holding tank may need to be employed as partof the hydrolysis stage to allow replication of organisms, or holding ofprocessed hydrolyzed material while the fermentation stage is inoperation. Many other fermentation stage and hydrolysis stage designsare possible depending upon a wide variety of factors, including, bynon-limiting example, organism type, neutralization requirements,feedstock material, capital cost, operating expenses, and any othervariable with potential process impact.

Use

Implementations of cellulosic ethanol production systems 2, 50, 64 mayutilize implementations of cellulosic ethanol production processes.These processes may include various process steps corresponding withvarious stages and operations within the cellulosic ethanol productionsystems 2, 50, 64. Accordingly, implementations of cellulosic ethanolproduction systems 2, 50, 64 may perform operations such as providing,hydrolyzing, liquefying, separating, fermenting, generating, andreacting, as well as many other functions inherent in the operation ofimplementations of cellulosic ethanol production systems 2, 50, 64.These cellulosic ethanol production processes may utilize the samefungi, enzymes, and bacteria previously disclosed while performing thevarious process steps.

For the exemplary purposes of this disclosure, a particularimplementation of a cellulosic ethanol production process 2 includesproviding a raw cellulose stream 10 by mixing a waste cellulose stream 4and an algae cellulose stream 8 and hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream10 to form a hydrolyzed cellulose stream 18, a hydrolysis CO₂ stream 16,and an ethanol stream by reacting the raw cellulose stream 10 with oneor more fungi selected from the group consisting of the generaNeocallimastix, Piromyces, and Orpinomyces in a fungi feed 14. Any ofthe other organisms described in this document could be similarlyemployed. In particular implementations, however, no organisms may beused, and the hydrolysis step may be accomplished purely throughchemical treatment. The implementation includes liquefying thehydrolyzed cellulose stream 18 to produce a sugars stream 22 by heatingthe hydrolyzed cellulose stream 18 and by reacting the hydrolyzedcellulose stream 18 with one or more enzymes, one or more bacteria, orwith one or more enzymes in combination with one or more bacteria. Theimplementation also includes separating the sugars in the sugars stream22 to produce a xylitol stream 26 and a separated sugars stream 28,fermenting the separated sugars stream 28 to produce a raw ethanolstream 32 and a fermentation CO₂ stream 34 by reacting the separatedsugars stream 28 with a yeast feed in at least one fermenter, separatingthe raw ethanol stream 32 to produce a fuel ethanol stream 38 and awaste cellulose stream. The implementation may also include generatingan algae stream 44 by reacting the hydrolysis CO₂ stream 16, thefermentation CO₂ stream 34, an atmospheric CO₂ stream 42, and thexylitol stream 26 with algae in at least one algae bioreactor andreacting the algae stream 44 in the at least one biodiesel reactorproducing an algae cellulose stream 8 and a biodiesel stream 48.

For implementations of cellulosic ethanol production systems 50, theprocess steps of generating the algae stream and reacting the algaestream to produce a biodiesel stream and an algae cellulose stream wouldbe absent.

Testing

A paper experiment was performed using Piromyces sp. E2 to determine anexemplary amount of fungi organelles required per ton of biomass as afunction of the potential percentage of available sugar in the biomassvaried. The results of the paper experiment were used to determine anequation for the number of organelles per ton of biomass. The paperexperimental results are listed below in Table 1. Similar paperexperimental results were observed for a combination of Neocallimastixsp. L2 and E. coli.

TABLE 1 Actual Incubation of Piromyces sp. E2 (in 0.005 gallons) &Growth (Lbs of wt) Sugar Organelles Solution Hydrogen Ethanol BiomassRemain 1.77 30.00% 0.00002 0.00005 wgt/vol 2.06 1.97 35.00% 0.000020.00006 wgt/vol 2.30 2.81 40.00% 0.00003 0.00008 wgt/vol 3.28 3.8245.00% 0.00003 0.00011 wgt/vol 4.45 5.63 50.00% 0.00005 0.00016 wgt/vol6.56 7.64 55.00% 0.00007 0.00022 wgt/vol 8.91 9.65 60.00% 0.000090.00027 wgt/vol 11.25 11.66 65.00% 0.00011 0.00033 wgt/vol 13.59

The resulting equation was y=0.00067x+29.07847 where y is the number oforganelles per ton of biomass and x is the percentage of available sugarin the biomass.

In places where the description above refers to particularimplementations of cellulosic ethanol production systems and processes,it should be readily apparent that a number of modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit thereof and that these implementationsmay be applied to other cellulosic ethanol production systems andprocesses.

1. An integrated process to produce fuel ethanol and biodiesel fromcellulose comprising: providing a raw cellulose stream to one or morecontainers selected from the group consisting of a vat, a bioreactor,and a tank by mixing a waste cellulose stream and an algae cellulosestream; hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream to form a hydrolyzedcellulose stream; liquefying the hydrolyzed cellulose stream to producea formed sugars stream and one or more liquefaction byproduct streams;fermenting the formed sugars stream to produce a raw ethanol stream byreacting the sugars stream with a yeast feed in at least one fermenter;separating the raw ethanol stream to form a fuel ethanol stream;producing an algae stream by reacting at least one of the one or moreliquefaction byproduct streams with algae in at least one algaebioreactor; reacting the algae stream in at least one biodiesel reactorto produce the algae cellulose stream and a biodiesel stream; andrecovering the fuel ethanol and the biodiesel from their respectivestreams.
 2. The process of claim 1, wherein hydrolyzing the rawcellulose stream further comprises reacting the raw cellulose streamwith one of capsaicin, quercetin, genestine, ethanol, and anycombination thereof.
 3. The process of claim 1, wherein hydrolyzing theraw cellulose stream further comprises reducing the concentration ofauxin in the raw cellulose stream using one or more organic transportinhibitors selected form the group consisting of capsaicin, quercetin,genestine, ethanol, and any combination thereof.
 4. The process of claim1, wherein hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream further comprisesadjusting the pH of the raw cellulose stream with one of capsaicin, aninorganic acid, an organic acid, and any combination thereof.
 5. Theprocess of claim 1, wherein hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream furthercomprises: dehydrogenating the raw cellulose stream with a compoundselected from the group consisting of: one or more enzymes selected fromthe group consisting of dehydrogenase, formate, alcohol dehydrogenase E,cytosol, and excrements of cephalopods or ocean mammals, and anycombination thereof; one or more organic transport inhibitors selectedfrom the group consisting of capsaicin, quercetin, genestine, ethanol,and any combination thereof, and any combination of enzymes and organictransport inhibitors thereof.
 6. The process of claim 1, whereinhydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream further comprises reacting the rawcellulose stream with one or more enzymes selected from the groupconsisting of dehydrogenase, formate, alcohol dehydrogenase E, cytosol,and excrements of cephalopods or ocean mammals.
 7. The process of claim1, wherein one of the one or more liquefaction byproduct streamsincludes xylitol.
 8. An integrated process to produce fuel ethanol andbiodiesel from cellulose comprising: providing a raw cellulose stream toone or more containers selected from the group consisting of a vat, abioreactor, and a tank by mixing a waste cellulose stream and an algaecellulose stream; hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream to form ahydrolyzed cellulose stream by reacting the raw cellulose stream withone or more organisms; liquefying the hydrolyzed cellulose stream toform a sugars stream; separating the sugars stream to form a xylitolstream and a separated sugars stream; fermenting the separated sugarsstream to form a raw ethanol stream by reacting the separated sugarsstream with a yeast feed in at least one fermenter; separating the rawethanol stream to form a fuel ethanol stream; producing an algae streamby reacting the xylitol stream with algae in at least one algaebioreactor; reacting the algae stream in at least one biodiesel reactorto produce the algae cellulose stream and a biodiesel stream; andrecovering the fuel ethanol and the biodiesel from their respectivestreams.
 9. The process of claim 8, wherein the one or more organismsare selected from the group consisting of a fungus, a yeast, abacterium, a protozoan, and any combination thereof.
 10. The process ofclaim 8, wherein the one or more organisms are selected from the groupconsisting of Piromyces sp. E2, Neocallimastix sp. L2, Mixotrichaparadoxa, Spirochaeta endosymbiotes, Escherichia coli, and Escherichiacoli BL21.
 11. The process of claim 8, wherein hydrolyzing the rawcellulose stream further comprises reacting the raw cellulose streamwith one of capsaicin, quercetin, genestine, ethanol, and anycombination thereof.
 12. The process of claim 8, wherein hydrolyzing theraw cellulose stream further comprises regulating the activity of theone or more organisms using one or more enzymes selected from the groupconsisting of dehydrogenase, formate, alcohol dehydrogenase E, cytosol,and excrements of cephalopods or ocean mammals.
 13. The process of claim8, wherein hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream further comprisesreducing the concentration of auxin in the raw cellulose stream usingone or more organic transport inhibitors selected from the groupconsisting of capsaicin, quercetin, genestine, ethanol, and anycombination thereof.
 14. The process of claim 8, wherein hydrolyzing theraw cellulose stream further comprises adjusting the pH of the rawcellulose stream with one of capsaicin, an inorganic acid, an organicacid, and any combination thereof.
 15. The process of claim 8, whereinhydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream further comprises: dehydrogenatingthe raw cellulose stream with a compound selected from the groupconsisting of: one or more enzymes selected from the group consisting ofdehydrogenase, formate, alcohol dehydrogenase E, cytosol, and excrementsof cephalopods or ocean mammals, and any combination thereof; one ormore organic transport inhibitors selected from the group consisting ofcapsaicin, quercetin, genestine, ethanol, and any combination thereof,and any combination of enzymes and organic transport inhibitors thereof.16. The process of claim 8, wherein hydrolyzing the raw cellulose streamfurther comprises reacting the raw cellulose stream with one or moreenzymes selected from the group consisting of dehydrogenase, formate,alcohol dehydrogenase E, cytosol, and excrements of cephalopods or oceanmammals.
 17. An integrated process for producing fuel ethanol andbiodiesel from cellulose comprising: providing a raw cellulose stream bymixing a waste cellulose stream and an algae cellulose stream;hydrolyzing the raw cellulose stream to form a hydrolyzed cellulosestream, a hydrolysis CO₂ stream, and an hydrolysis ethanol stream byreacting the raw cellulose stream with one or more fungi selected fromthe group consisting of the genera Neocallimastix, Piromyces, andOrpinomyces; liquefying the hydrolyzed cellulose stream to produce asugars stream by heating the hydrolyzed cellulose stream and by reactingthe hydrolyzed cellulose stream with one or more enzymes, one or morebacteria, or with one or more enzymes in combination with one or morebacteria; separating the sugars stream to produce a xylitol stream and aseparated sugars stream; fermenting the separated sugars stream toproduce a raw ethanol stream and a fermentation CO₂ stream by reactingthe separated sugars stream with a yeast feed in at least one fermenter;separating the raw ethanol stream to produce a fuel ethanol stream and awaste cellulose stream; producing an algae stream by reacting thehydrolysis CO₂ stream, the fermentation CO₂ stream, an atmospheric CO₂stream, and the xylitol stream with algae in at least one algaebioreactor; and reacting the algae stream in at least one biodieselreactor to produce the algae cellulose stream and a biodiesel stream;and recovering the fuel ethanol and the biodiesel from their respectivestreams.
 18. The process of claim 17, wherein the one or more fungiselected from the group consisting of the genera Neocallimastix,Piromyces, and Orpinomyces are selected from the group consisting ofNeocallimastix patriciarum, Neocallimastix patriciarum strain 27,Neocallimastix frontalis, and Piromyces sp. strain E2.
 19. The processof claim 17, wherein the one or more enzymes are selected from the groupconsisting of α-amylase, β-glucanase, cellobiase, dehydrogenase,exoglucohydrolase, formate, alcohol dehydrogenase E, cytosol, pyruvateformate lyase, lignase, and excrements of cephalopods or ocean mammals.20. The process of claim 17, wherein separating the sugars streamfurther comprises chromatographically separating xylitol in the sugarsstream to produce the xylitol stream and the separated sugars stream.